Carter Hargrave is a native Oklahoman, born in Tulsa Oklahoma. He began his martial arts training in the late sixties in Goju Ryu Karate at age seven from martial arts master Lou Angel.

Angel was trained by Gogen Yamaguchi known as "The Cat" in Goju Ryu which has its roots in Kempo. The two styles have become almost synonymous from their early teaching at Shaolin.

"Over the eighteen years as a teacher I have taught many thousands of students, and it seems surreal to think that I have taught more students Bruce Lee's art than the man himself", says Hargrave. Most of Lee's original students are retired or no longer with us. Many had small groups that they taught to keep the Jeet Kune Do style alive. "What has made the difference for us is that we were the first to embrace modern technology and make a serious effort to promote and bring the art to everyone who was curious about what real JKD was and is." With the use of the internet Hargrave and the World Jeet Kune Do Federation has a student count that was unfathomable just a few years ago, which has allowed Hargrave to have taught more students than most of Lee's original students combined.

Here is the best selling book Original Jeet Kune Do Training Manual authored by Carter Hargrave

Professor Carter Hargrave furthered his Karate training in Kempo after several years in Kuk Sool and Tae Kwon Do. After becoming a master level 5th Dan in Kempo Hargrave became well known through his book "Japanese Kempo Karate" from Combat Martial Arts Press (Catalog now taken over by Hargrave Media). After years of seeing how non fluid and restrained the traditional Kempo systems treated fighting, Carter Hargrave applied his knowledge of kinesiology from his Jeet Kune Do training to make a new more alive system of Kempo. He changed the stances to more upright which allowed for springy movements as well as a dramatic increase in speed when he utilized advanced non chambered body rotations with explosive breathing techniques perfected by the Chinese. He then added a combat abbreviated version of Ju Jitsu from his extensive background in that art.

When asked what he thought about Katas in martial arts Hargrave said "I think they are great for other martial arts. I have done enough kata to last the rest of my life and for my system if we ever do any kata it will be weapons katas from day one." And so it was when Hargrave founded his own combat system it had only three Kata for first Dan black belt and they were weapons kata. Thus was born American Combat Kempo made of Karate, Jujitsu and Kobujutsu of all types. All with the heavy influence of Hargrave's Bruce Lee Lineage.

Carter Hargrave is a second generation teacher with lineage to Bruce Lee's school in Oakland California. For more information you may send us an email.